Circuit-breaker.



L. C. STEELE.

CIRCUIT BREAKER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.16, 1907.

Patented May 4, 190g,

Nul

Lew Z-'S C'. Steele.

angine? 'the wire and which lmay be easily andf 'quickly operated .jects ZEWIS C. STEELE, OF COLUMBUS, O'HIO.

'CIRCUIT-B RE AKER.

'Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 4, 1909.

'Application sie@ August i6', 1907... serial No. 388,801.

To all ich om it 'may concern.'

Beit known that l, LEWIS CJS'rEELaciti- Zen of the UnitedStates, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and 4 useful Improvements in Circuit-Breakers, of which' the 'following is a specification.

My invention relates to circuit-breakers of that class which are particularly adapted for use lin temporarily interrupting a current on a line wire for testing purposes and the. objects-,of mv invention are to provide a simple, reliable and `effective circuit breaking or current interrupting device the use of which will obviate the necessity of cutting and to produce other iniprovenients in details of' construction and arrangement of parts which will 'be more fully ointed out hereinafter. These obaccomplish in the mannerillustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a view in elevation of an insulator showing niy improved circuit breaking device connected therewith, F ig. 2 is a central vertical sect-ion of the same on line -.t

' of Fig. l1, Fig. 3 is a reduced transverse section on line y-i/.of Fig. 1, Fig. 4is a central vertical section of the circuit breaking device showing the same inverted with reference to the View shown in Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is 'a detail View in perspective of a binding member. which I employ as hereinafter de.- scribed. Y

' Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several Views. l 1 representsa line wire such as is used for DOWII means.

conductingl electric currentfor telephone, telegraph and other purposes. This wire is adapted, as shown, to be-looped about theI ordinary form of insulator body 2, in which 4 osition it is secured by any suitable or well From the point of its connection with the insulator, the wire/1 is provided with an extension of suitable length which is indicated at 1. a and'which has a exi- 'ble terminal section 1b, adapted to be connected with one end of my improved circuit breaking device, which I will now proceed to describe. .This circuit breaker consists of a tubular body 3 which may be formed of glass, porcelain,l properly treated fiber or other suitable insu ating material. f Into one end of the tubular or cylindrical body thus providedis inserted a metallic contact plug'4 which has an outer end socket 4f* adapted tol receive a wire end. The inner end portion of the plug 4 extends slightly within thc tube 3 and at the op osite end of said tube is 1n- '-sei'ted a secon( plug 5 which has its inner end .portion provided with a reduced extension or contact pin 5u which terminates a desirable distance from the inner end of the plug 4 and .which results in the formation of aii annular space between said pin extension and the inner surface of the tube 3. The plug 5 is provided with a wire receiving socket 5b. As indicated at 6 the tubular body 3 is- )rovided with a centrally fixed exterior collar, from which project-s laterally a headed pin orstud 7.

-8 represents an elongated binding plate lor strip, 'at the center of the lengthof which is formed an opening through which passes the projecting pin 7, the head of the latter being preferably rivetedor forced into frictional engagement with the outer surface of the plate 8. rlhis binding stri has formed therewith and extending centra ly therefrom oppositely located arms 8 each of. which terminates in a short lateral projection 8b having its end formed with a curved recess. "hrough the medium of wires 9 each of which has one of its ends connected with one end of the plate 8 and which wires are bound about t-lie insulator 2, the tube 3 is securely held in a verti cal osition against the outer surface of said insullator, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing. And in order to insure the position of the tube against the insulator the. recessed ends ofthe ai'ni teriiiinationxf 8" are caused to engage the periphery of the tubes above and below the binding thus locking the tu versal.

10 represents a line wire which is suitably bound about the insulator 2-at a desirable distance from line wire 1. This wire 10, has an extension 10, terminating in a :flexible wire section 1()b which has its ond poi-lion inserted and properly secured in 'the socket 4.- of the tube end plug 4, while the end of the section 1b is similarly connected with the plug 5. Within the tube I provide a body of -inercury which is indicated at 13, the saine being insufficient quantity to insure a complete plate as .shown in Fig. 2 e against accidental re- `electrical connection between the plug 4 and .the extension aof the plug 5 when the tube 3 is in the upright osition shown in Figs. 1 and 2, but of insu' icicnt quantity to form a connection between the parts mentioned when the tube is reversed, in Which position it is obvious that the inershown inv Fig. 4

- `portion of the tubular betweengsaid plug extension and thewal oi the'tube.

The method of utilizing myinvention is substantially as follovvs: Assuming that the tube is in the upright position shown in Fig. 1 and that it is desired to open the circuit at that point forthe purpose of testing between the insulator and a given point, or for any other temporary purposes, the tube 3 may be readily rotated on its pin 7 until the upper ody 3 engages in the oWer indentations18b .oithe plate 8, thus causing the mercury to assume the position of the efectually breaking the circuit'which normally exists when the tube is in the upright position; The test having been iliade, it is obvious that .the circuit may be again quickly closed by reversing the position of the tube 3. It is to be understood that the arms 8@ yield suiiciently to .permit the above described action.

as shownl in Fig. 4, y

drawing and thereby. 4to rictionally engage will ' From the construction and o eration described, it Will be understood t at my iniproved circuit breaker may be produced and adapted fior use at a comparatively 10W cost and that its use will obvia-te the. necessity of cutting and again reuniting the Wires for testing urposes. Vilghat I claim, is:

y In a device 'oi thecharacter described the bodyportion of plugs closingthe opposite ends oisaid body .combination vwith a tubular portion, oneof said plugs 'having a reduced portion which extends into the body portion,

electrical conductors connected to saidplugs, a binding 'plate comprising lugs having recesses formed therein, said lugs being Aadapted said body portion .and

means for pivoting'saidbody portion'to, said binding plate. v In testimony whereof l afiix my signature in presence of -t'wvo Witnesses.

. LEWIS o. STEELE. 'i

Witnesses:

. LfCARL STOUGHTON,

' A. L. PnELPs. 

